


Fortiores Una (We Are Stronger Together)

by moonlightnightmare



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Aulea is good mom, Aulea lives longer, F/M, Fuck Canon, M/M, Multi, Noctis has a twin sister, So basically, Twin Verse, and watched Kingsglaive, for my great friends on tumblr who are absolutely amazing, it's great, once I get to writing them, so basically this is a general fuck all to canon because I've only played the game, thank you so much for helping me build a beautiful universe with our precious bbies, the antics are fucking hilarious, this is a gift fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-10 01:00:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10425729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlightnightmare/pseuds/moonlightnightmare
Summary: The Lucis Caelum Line has suffered great losses at the hands of the Starscourge, a mother lost, friends lost. And a fate that just keeps getting worse. Noctis and his twin sister Nisha, learn to embrace what it means to be Stronger Together as they set to right the wrongs wrought by the enemies. This is a vibrant retelling of the game, that proves adding one new factor can change oh so much in one's destiny.





	1. Childhood Wrought With Dangers

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift fic for several amazing people on tumblr who have joined together with me in the RP community to weave a fantastical story of life, love, and sacrifice for the people you love. I'm sooooo excited to get to share it with you guys too. Special thanks to the following actual babes. 
> 
> Actual Noctis (outofmychair/Shai)  
> Actual Trash Jesus (izunix/ Mojito) 
> 
> With out you I would not have been inspired to even begin to try this, and I hope you guys enjoy it.

There were hushed whispers and the pitter patter of tiny feet across the floors of the Citadel, time had made the place quiet, hours of the early morning bringing two tiny forms to the bed of a doting mother and loving father. Aulea Lucis Caelum found that she was not shocked to find the twins coming to them, a nightmare having plagued the both of them. 

Her children shared so much. 

Groggy eyes passed over innocent afraid faces, and the Queen slipped from her spot beside her husband moving to usher the children back to their beds. It was scenes like these that reminded her of the joys that came with having a family. Little moments where she realized that this was hers, and even now it was still a miracle to her.

Once she had the children safely back in their beds, her son was the first to speak, “Mama, the daemons came for you.”

It was a tragic thing to hear your child tell you such a horrible thing at such a young age. Daemons were nothing to be trifled with, neither was the Starscourge that brought them to their home in the night. 

“It hurt you.” Nisha, her daughter added. The two often shared dreams, an odd gift, she’d insisted that Regis get answers for. At times it was like they also shared so much more. Such as a bond that would transcend anything. 

“Nothing can hurt me here, my little minnows.” She’d used the nickname often, it seemed to suit them so. Two tiny fish caught in a sea of life that would sweep them away were they not careful. 

Oh if she’d only known, how far away they’d be swept.

\-----------------------------

There was chaos in the night. She’d attempted to warn Regis of the dangerous, but he’d assured her that there were none to be had. They were only traveling a short distance, and all would be well. He’d promised. The motorcaid was well protected, as it was, heavily guarded against the Empire beyond Insomnia’s walls. But nothing could prepare them for the onslaught which the demons wrought that night.

In the chaos the Queen refused to sit back and not fight. Her children were here, they were in danger. The maternal instincts kicked in, and she fought to protect them, her own life discarded into the night. 

There were panicked cries from the two children as their mother was felled, Noctis doing his best to hold his little sister back as the daemon began it’s approach. She screamed for their mother, cries that held no relevance for a woman who was already gone from this world.   
The eight year olds clung tight to each other as the demon grew nearer, more and more bloodshed. Nisha came to step in front of her brother, and if the protective nature of a small child had been enough to stop a daemon, they’d have been lucky. But it wasn’t. A massive hand swept down and slammed her into the side of a car with enough force that it broke ribs, and robbed her of consciousness. 

 

\------------------------------------

Tenebrae was a beautiful place, her mother used to talk of it often, about the seas of blue, instead of lush greens that covered the ground when the Sylleblossoms bloomed. And now all it did was remind her of what they’d lost. 

Horrible philosphy for a small child, but as it was, their mother had died protecting them no less. A most horrible thing to witness. In her dreams, Nisha saw blood, endless rivers of it. She saw Noctis never waking up. She heard pained screams that belonged to her, she could only assume. She was haunted by the horrors with every passing day that Noctis slept and she was awake.

On rare occasions she spoke to people, she’d say a meek hello to Ravus whenever he passed by, or a kind hello to Lady Luna and her mother when they stopped in to check on Noctis, but for the most part, she was quiet. And she didn’t move from his side, except to look out the windows on the fields of blue below.

It was what she was doing at the moment he woke up, disoriented and scared. Nisha moved from the window, as soon as she heard him make a sound other than breathing.

He was back. He was waking up. It felt like a weight lifted from tiny shoulders as she crawled up on the bed and sat beside him waiting for his eyes to open. When they did---- She’d never felt more blessed in her life. 

\--------------------------------------

The walks they’d take through the woodlands surrounding the castle in Tenebrae, were the highlights of her day. She loved collecting things, watching tiny animals scurry across the ground, Noctis held them in his wheelchair as she collected, and they’d examine their spoils each day. 

Except for this one. 

Fires raged, and guns fired. Horrible things befalling people who had become precious to them. It gifted her with a morbid thought, what if they carried trouble with them, wherever they went? What if people died because of them?

They lost their friends that day. Ravus was engulfed in rage as they fled, leaving his mother to die. She felt horrible that he had to see it, and deal with it alone. And they lost Luna, too, when her hand slipped free of their father’s and she fell into the procession of Niflheim soldiers that followed after them.

\---------------------------------------

For years, life in the Citadel was hard. Both children had changed. Nisha had become more guarded, more protective, and while Noctis was more protective. He embraced a life beyond what royalty meant for them. 

But as it was, they still had no ideas what awaited them in the future. The even worse fate waiting to destroy the Lucis Caelum line forever.


	2. A Bond Between Siblings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Twin Centric chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh there were so many routes I could've gone with this but I like where I went. You guys might wanna grab a box of tissues, feels were high towards the end.

The morning was bright and beautiful, and she was going to fucking kill him. Yup, Noctis was so dead. Because when the girl looked into the refrigerator and found that her toaster pastries were gone, she knew exactly who’d done it. Her suspicions were only cemented by the note on the door that was written in Noctis’ scrawled hand. 

Nisha. 

I ate the last one of your toaster pastries.  
It was good.

 

-Noctis.

Dead to her.

He was dead to her.

It was one thing to use her milk or dump his disgusting vegatables on her plate, but this, this was a travesty and an offense punishable by horrible things.

Three days from now, they’d both be turning sixteen, if Noctis lived that long. Moving on from the lost pastry she moved to open the cabinet, reaching for the box of cereal that wasn’t there. Instead she grabbed another note. 

P.S.  
Also finished your favorite chocolate cereal.   
It was also good.

-Noctis

Her brother better have been praying to the Six that she didn’t find him during school today, because if she did, he was in for a world of humili-----

Her thought process stopped, halted by another crueler thought process. He’d still be sleeping. He never stayed up after he ate breakfast, in fact usually he went right back to sleep until it was time to leave. She raced from the kitchen and back to her room, rummaging through her back for the marker on loan from Iris. A marker she was probably not getting back, but either way, she already stated she didn’t care. 

She moved swiftly into her brother’s room, a casual smirk upon her features as she uncapped the marker and admired it’s pink tip for a moment and scrawled a mustache upon her features as he slept, with only so much as a tiny flinch and a twitch of the nose from him. 

Then she left a note of her own on his bedside table

Noctis.

Have fun at school today.

Your loving sister,   
Nisha.

Revenge was sweet. At school it was going to be even sweeter.

\------------------------------

Nisha stood at her locker, chatting idly with Iris when Noctis finally made his way into the building. She knew he was coming by the idle snickers that echoed through the halls. She turned to look at him, flashing a pearly smile and sporting a wave of her hand. 

Iris turned to look towards him as well, and she let out an undignified sound that sound like she was trying to hold back a laugh, and not succeeding very well. “What did he do?!”

“He ate my toaster pastries, and my cereal, and proceeded to gloating about it.”She smirked, reaching into her locker for the last of her books, closing it before her brother got too close, and she started walking towards class. 

\--------------------------------  
Dead to him. 

Nisha was dead to him. It was apparent now to their entire school that he’d done something wrong, considering the fluffy pink mustache drawn on his face. And it didn’t help that even his only friend was snickering at him. “Prompto, dude, shut up.”

“Your sister did a number on your face, it’s funny!”

Cue the death glare from the Prince towards his friend, whose hands shot in the air, “Okay okay, it’s not that funny.”

“I’ve got twenty gil that says you deserved it.”

The Prince turned to look up at the taller male who did nothing to hold back the booming laugh that echoed the halls.

\---------------------------------

As her day went on, Nisha was in a relatively good mood. She’d handed out the few invitations that she’d bothered with to the people she’d decided were worth one, which unlike Noctis who’d only invited a few people, she’d invited half the school. 

What? It was her party, she didn’t want the room to be full of stuffy old people and dignitaries. She was sifting through the stack of envelopes in her hand when she almost ran into someone, if arms hadn’t reach out to stop her first. “You should really watch where you’re going, Princess.”

She looked up at him, a slight blush rising to her features. She was quick to take a step away and sift through the pile of envelopes, holding one out to him. “I mean, I know you’ll be there anyway, but it always feels nice to be invited because your wanted there, and not because you have to be.”

A smile spread across her lips as she turned and made her way towards her next class, which incidentally she’d passed up while sifting through the envelopes. Whoops.

She rushed into the classroom and dropped down in her seat just as the bell rang, finding that she was quite content with where her day was going. And would continue to be going when she got home. 

Her dress was supposed to arrive today.

\----------------------------------

The next three days passed too fast, and the day of their party had arrived. Three school days gone and the weekend arrived. She could see the lines of people making their way through the inspections by the Citadel’s guards from her window. Noctis, all dressed up in his suit and tie, came to stand behind her a hand coming to rest on her shoulder. The pink mustache had since worn off, both were thankful. 

“Did you have to invite half the school, Ness?”His voice was playful, endearing. And only a little bit irritated. 

“Did you want to be surrounded by members of the council and foreign dignitaries, or would you rather be surrounded by people our own age who aren’t sticks in the mud?”

He nodded as though she had a point before confirming, “Good point, you okay? You look a little nervous.”

“I---- Ummm…. Do I look okay? Iris was in here for like five hours working on my hair, and I just, I don’t know-----” She was fretting with the fabric of the dress that she’d been wearing every chance she got for the last few days. Every time she was alone, it was on, and she was imagining what tonight was gonna be like. Now that it was here, she was actually nervous. Being royalty came with lots of judgement. She was starting to regret inviting all those kids from school.

“Hey---- Look at me, Ness.” She looked up at her twin, who sounded pretty serious, which was an almost rare occurance between the two of them. “You look fine, everyone down there is going to envy you, and I’ll probably have to fight half the school’s populace if they think they are even remotely worthy.”

He smirked, and held out a medium sized box, “I know it’s supposed to wait until later, but I figured you’d enjoy it now.”

She opened the box, a tiny gasp escaping her lips. It was beautiful. A stirling silver hair pin shaped like the Sylleblossoms in Tenebrae, the place where they met in their dreams. One of the few odd things they shared. She’d always assumed it was because they were twins. She ran her fingers over the ornate detail, amidst the black of her dress, the soft blue stones would contrast perfectly. 

“Noctis, it’s beautiful.”She lifted it up gingerly in her hands, moving to the mirror to slip it into place. She pulled out a box of her own, handing it over to her brother, “Apparently we both enjoy a little irony.”

She reached forward taking hold of the pin as he responded, “Suppose we do.”

She clipped it onto his jacket, smoothing it out, just as there was a knock on the bedroom door and and the sound of it clicking open. “All of your guests have arrived, your highnesses.” 

“Thanks, Iggy.”

Together the two of them walked out of the room, and down one of the massive staircases into one of the Citadel’s many ballrooms. She could hear the whispers of voices chattering about how they were both a vision of perfection.

“Noctis……”

“I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere, jeez.”

She took a deep breath, clutching at her brother’s hand, the train of her dress sweeping the stairs behind her as a smile slipped onto her features and she embraced the crowds gathered. She received a couple of happy birthdays here, a few more there. The same sentiment expressed to her brother. 

The two got seperated at some point, at which she had no ideas, but she was making her way through the room, conversing with a few people here and there. Her eyes passed over a group of boys who were unfamiliar. She walked past them, and out the doors onto one of the balconies, she suddenly needed air.

\-----------------------------

Next thing she knew, she was listening to the humming of the city in the night, the street lights and the ever present hum of the walls magic. And then she was surrounded balcony behind her, and one of the three unfamiliar party guests blocking her other possible exit strategies. 

“We beat up a couple of your friends to get into this party.” The one to her right spoke first. There was a tiny edge of panic as she prepared to fight. 

“This is the things you royals do?” The voice was violent as a hand moved forward to grab her, “Instead of helping the people beyond your precious wall, you throw parties.”

Words caught in her throat, blocked by a scream that didn’t want to come out. 

“Come on, your highness, speak. Tell me, is this what you do while our families suffer beyond your protection?”

She was held fast, her arms caught in waiting hands as she went to summon her lance, “Get off of me!”

The lance clattered to the ground before fading away, the doors leading inside opened back just as a hand reared back and landed across her features. “Too dainty to fight back, Prin----”

His words were cut off by him choking on his words quite literally when a fist met his jaw. She was released when the two others moved to defend their friend. “Nisha, get inside.”

And she did.

She ran so fast that her legs got tripped up in her skirt on the stairs, her train tripping her up. She didn’t let that bother her, she was back up in a heart beat, hands gathering her skirts, rushing back towards her room. 

\----------------------------

Noctis watched as Gladio moved out the doors to the balcony, he felt the sting of fingers across his cheek as though he was the one who had been slapped, and watched as his sister made her way through the crowds of party guests at speeds almost inhuman. 

He could feel it like a knife twisting in his chest, her fear, her desire to get away, to hide. And every instinct inside him told him that he had to go be with her. He made his way through the broken crowd and up the stairs

Fists pounded at her door, which was locked, “Nisha! Open up!”

He could hear her sobbing inside, stupid fucking door. He stood at the door pleading between knocks for her to open it up, it had to be at least five minutes before the click of the door unlocking echoed in his ears and she opened it. 

The sight that met him started with her puffy purpling cheek. Whoever had hit her, had hit her hard. The second thing he noticed, was the jagged cut in her dress, and the scissors on the floor. She’d slit her dress all the way up the middle, from the floor up just above her naval, and she’d changed into a pair of pants that rested underneath it. 

She didn’t look like his dainty twin sister in that moment, she looked like someone ready to kill. “The parties over. I’m not going back down there.”

And he didn’t blame her.


	3. A Day All In.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nisha convinces Gladio to train her. Chaos ensues.

Long dark hair fell into her face, falling free of the intricate mess of twists and knots that Ignis had managed to work it into that morning. Her small form is dwarfed in comparison to the larger male she approached. Her usual starry eyed awkwardness was replaced by something far different. Something more raw, and emotional. 

“I want you to train me.”Sixteen years old, and she felt like she was six. In need of protecting, and she hated it. She had a lot to learn, by the Six, she was determined to learn it. 

Gladiolus raised an eyebrow at the Princess, arms rising to cross his chest. “I already do?”

“No, I want private lessons. Not sparring sessions with Noctis where he’s there to pick up my slack. I want to get stronger, and I want to learn how to hold my own.”There was a fierce determination in her eyes, and it was obvious that she wasn’t going to give up on the notion. She could tell that it took a moment of contemplation on the older male’s part before he huffed a sigh and nodded in agreement. 

“Okay, but I’m not going to take it easy on you.”

The slightest of smiles lifted up the corners of her lips, “Good, the purpose of private lessons would be lost if you did.”

\-----------------------

It’d been hours since her conversation with Gladiolus involving her training. It was agreed that they’d be meeting after classes at some point, and that they’d train for two hours. Ignis was fidgeting with her hair at the moment as she prepared for her sparring session. 

“Highness, I believe that this is not appropriate for someone of your standing.”He’d been making sure she knew his stance on the whole thing, and while she respected it, unlike Noctis who’d be sassing the male up and down for his complaints, she didn’t.

“I have to do something, Igs. I can’t just sit back and let myself be weak anymore. One day I could be Queen and a Queen can’t be a weak little girl.”She huffed a breath, “It’s gonna be hard, and it’s gonna take time. But I can’t rely on Noctis forever, he’s not always going to be there.”

There was a moment of protest, a simple sound, before the words caught on the Strategist’s lips and he caved. “Just be careful, please.”

“Gladiolus is not going to hurt me, Ignis. If anything he’s helping me.” She turned as soon as his fingers left her hair, leaving their position of fidgeting her long locks into the careful braid. She offered the older male a hug, which he returned only after a single moment of shock. “Thank you for worrying about me.”

\---------------------------

“You’re going to fight in that?”Gladio looked her over with scrutiny, almost the likes of which Ignis used when he checked anything, including her homework. 

“I’m sure you’re probably going to kick my ass too.”Nisha snapped at her teacher, frustration edging her tone. “I am a Princess. I’m not always going to get pinned into a fight wearing jeans and t-shirt. So it’s better to just learn how to fight like this than it is to regret not doing so later.”

There was a moment of silence that passed between them and she had to fight the desire to punch him in the jaw for even thinking that she couldn’t handle it. “Whatever you say, Nish.”

The fight commenced. And it was a mess of attempts to keep her footing and losing her balance. It was her lance defending instead of attack, her blocking and guarding instead of actually making any progress towards ending the battle. She knew it was going to be difficult. She had to learn how to move in the train that kept tripping her up and the heels that were the literal bane of her existence. Soon as she learned the easier life would be.

The training session was coming to a close as she was just starting to get the hang of her footing. And she may or may not have been expecting the fist that came flying towards her. She moved to raise her lance to put a barrier between his lunging arm and her face, but she was far from fast enough. Her footing lost as his fist connected with her face. 

She didn’t expect him to apologize. She should’ve expected it, she’d asked for no holds barred and their enemies wouldn’t offer apologies when they hit her. She moved to stand up, she could feel her eye swelling already, puffing up to twice it’s size at a rapid rate. She was finding it hard to keep it open. Well shit… Then she was laughing. 

“Okay okay! I’m calling it. You win, and I need an ice pack.”She knew it wasn’t going to be easy. She’d warned herself and prepared herself for the bumps and bruises and swollen areas before she’d even walked into the training room. She had expected it, she had prepared for it, because it was going to prepare her for the future. 

Her arms shot out again, both of them coming forward to brace her lance as his blade came crashing down against it. She was expecting it this time. Though the force of it had her re-evaluating her footing she managed to stay upright and that was a bonus. His face was fairly close to hers as they battled for who was going to break the hold. “Now we’re done. I’ll see you here tomorrow at the same time.”

And just like that he’s walking away leaving her standing in the room her lance falling to the floor before fading from view in a flurry of warp trails as it faded back into her armiger. “Hey--- Thanks, Gladio. I really appreciate it.”

From the lack of a response she worried that she hadn’t said it loud enough, considering he’d walked right out of the room as though she’d said nothing. What she couldn’t see was the soft smile on his lips as he walked away.

\---------------------  
“Shit, Nisha! What the hell got a hold of you?”It was Prompto’s voice, and she winced. She hadn’t realized that Noct’s friend was coming over, and honestly with the black eye she had earned herself, she was hoping that he wasn’t going to see her brother either, let alone him and his best friend. 

“Heheh, Gladio. Our first training session didn’t go perfect.”

“Well you had to know it wasn’t going to be perfect, considering you’re dressed like that and you never train like that.”Noctis’ retort was irritating. Annoying was another word that actively described her feelings towards her brother in the moment. She knew that he understood why she was doing what she was doing. “Seriously I knew you got that shiner before you did.”

Nisha rolled her eyes, though she knew he was right. Prompto took a hold of her hand, the gesture almost protective as he pulled her off towards the kitchen. Where Ignis would be hiding. Honestly, as it was they might as well just invite Gladio and it’d be a fucking party. 

Upon entering the kitchen there was the thin trained form of Ignis standing before them holding out a pack of some sort of meat wrapped in a towel. And Gladio was seated at the table picking at a plate of whatever was spread out on the table. Looked to her like a lot of meats and vegetables. Looked like she and Noct were dining on a diet of protein for the night. 

Nisha pressed the ice pack to her features as Gladio made a jibe about her skills in battle and honestly, she felt like she was at home. She was in the best parts of her element. With the only friends she needed. Only one was missing from the party and perhaps it was better that the smallest Amicitia wasn’t around to see the damage her elder brother had caused. Gladio would get an ass ripping he’d never forget if she found out. 

\--------------------

The rest of their night was spent laughing and joking together at the table while they ate what Ignis had prepared in the Citadel’s kitchen, losing track of time with a game of cards that was particularly entertaining. 

After everyone left for the night, Nisha and Noctis parted ways in the hallway to their rooms. Whispered, tired I love yous and good nights were exchanged between the siblings as they wandered off into their respective rooms. Content to meeting again in their dreams to explore the world they built. Watching the stars from the fields of Sylleblossoms that awaited in their dreams.


End file.
